Hearing aids will soon be available without a prescription or expensive medical consultation.
OTC Hearing Aids Are Changing The World: 👆 Here's Why And What Their Pros And Cons Are
Last week, the FDA ruled that hearing aids can be sold over the counter (OTC). This will give millions of people who previously could not afford medical hearing aids better hearing. Prices should come down, and with a huge market ready to exploit, technology companies will step in and improve the offerings.
“These devices have great potential to increase access to hearing technology for people who have found traditional hearing aids to be out of reach financially or due to poor access to hearing care professionals,” Rebecca Lewis, an audiologist and audiology director of the Adult and Pediatric Cochlear Implant Program at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, told Lifewire via email. “OTCs can also raise awareness of the importance of taking care of your hearing health.”
The new final rule is the result of bipartisan legislation that began in 2017. Until now, you couldn’t buy a set of hearing aids the way you can buy reading glasses or other medical devices. You could and still can buy PSAPs (personal amplifiers), but these are simple, dumb devices that make watching TV a little easier by simply making things louder.
